The Facts About Earwax And Why You’ll Never Clean Your Ears Again

A lot of people swab their ears with cotton swabs as part of their daily routine. If you are one of them, you should know that experts warn against using swabs in your ear canal.

What Is Ear Wax?

Earwax is produced by glands in your ear canal for a reason. It’s known as cerumen, and mostly made up of dead skin cells. It aids in the ears’ self-cleaning process, providing protection, lubrication, and antibacterial properties. The American Hearing Research Foundation says that too little ear wax may increase the risk of infection.

Benefits of Ear Wax

When you have too little earwax in your ear canal, your ears may feel dry and itchy, but the right amount of earwax helps with:

• Preventing dust, bacteria, and other germs from entering and damaging your ear;
• Trapping dirt and slowing the growth of bacteria;
• Protecting the skin of your ear canal from becoming irritated by water.

The Ear Are Self Cleaning

Your ears are self-cleaning part of the body. Excess earwax can move out of your ear canal automatically, as these cells actually migrate naturally. The removal of earwax is also helped by movements of your jaw (talking, chewing, yawning, etc.), and once it reaches the outer ear it will simply fall out or be removed when you shower or bathe.

Earwax Buildup Is Often a Sign of Omega-3 Deficiency

There are some people who seem to have trouble with excess wax buildup. If this applies to you, be sure to increase your omega-3 fats intake, as excess buildup of earwax has been traced back to an omega-3 deficiency. Eat more high-quality animal-based dietary sources such as sardines, anchovies, and wild-caught Alaskan salmon.

Why You Shouldn’t Use Swabs in The Ears

The American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery Foundation says that under ideal circumstances the ear canals should never have to be cleaned. But, many people mistakenly believe that earwax should be routinely removed for personal hygiene, but this is not so.

Attempting to remove earwax with cotton swabs, or other probing devices like bobby pins, can result in damage to the ear, including impaction of the earwax or temporary deafness. Objects like these, can push the wax in deeper and block the ear canal.

When people have a wax blockage against the eardrum, it is usually because of pushing the wax in deeper. Be aware, this can bring fungus, bacteria, and viruses from the outer ear into the inner ear, which can cause infections among other complications, including hearing loss.

Keep in mind that as the more you rub the inner ear with cotton swabs, the more histamine is released, which makes your skin irritated and inflamed. This can cause additional dryness and irritation that makes you want to insert a cotton swab again.

These symptoms may indicate you have an excess of earwax buildup that may need some attention:

• Noticeable Wax Accumulation/Discharge from Ears;
• Foul Odor in The Ears;
• Frequent Earaches;
• Ringing in The Ears;
• A Feeling That Ears are Plugged;
• Partial Hearing Loss;
• Severe Itching In The Ears.

Mostly, you can clear earwax blockages at home. The simplest way is to first soften the wax by placing a few drops of olive oil or coconut oil in your ear and then, pour a cap full of 3% hydrogen peroxide in each ear to flush the wax out.

Bubbling is completely normal, also may feel a slight stinging sensation. Wait until the bubbling and stinging subside (around 5 to 10 minutes), then drain onto a tissue and repeat with the other ear.

Once you’ve cleared out any excess buildup and you’re getting sufficient amounts of omega-3, it will normally prevent a recurrence.